Less is More
I’m pretty sure that we have all heard the quote “less is more”. What I don’t think we all realize is that is Biblically backed. Ecclesiastes 4:6 says “Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail and vexation of spirit”.
What the verse is saying is that it is better to have only a little, but to have a peace of mind, than to have much more, but to have a worried and stressed spirit. Isn’t that true? Wouldn’t you rather have what you need, and to be at peace, than to have it all, but constantly be stressed about it?
Our culture today teaches that we should work, work, work so that we can have the bigger house, the better car, the best job, and so on so that we can be happy. However, in order to gain that, the people literally have to work all the time. Some people take two jobs in order to get enough money, while other people have both the mother and the father in the family working. Some people do both, and then tack on mortgages and loans so that they can afford even more. All three options cause people to stress, and to worry. Because they are stressed and worrying, they don’t enjoy what they have, and they decide that they need more. You can see where this cycle leads.
Would it not be better to live within your means? The Bible is not saying to be a poor hermit, but it is saying to be reasonable. Later on, the author of Ecclesiastes says to be happy with what you have. It sounds simple, but isn’t that so important to just be content with what you have, than to work and stress constantly just to have that one more thing?
